Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #35

by Terrance Dicks

A traitor to the Time Lords?

Can the Doctor really be in league with the evil Vardans, spearheading a treacherous invasion of his home planet, Gallifrey?

Or is he playing a deadly double game, saving the Time Lords by appearing to betray them?

But the Vardans themselves are only pawns in the game, and the Doctor faces an old and deadly enemy, as he battles to foil the Invasion of Time.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Audiobook, Time Travel, Ebooks

142 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1980

About the author

Terrance Dicks was an English author, screenwriter, script editor, and producer best known for his extensive contributions to Doctor Who. Serving as the show's script editor from 1968 to 1974, he helped shape many core elements of the series, including the concept of regeneration, the development of the Time Lords, and the naming of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. His tenure coincided with major thematic expansions, and he worked closely with producer Barry Letts to bring a socially aware tone to the show. Dicks later wrote several Doctor Who serials, including Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Five Doctors, the 20th-anniversary special.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novelization of the sixth and final serial of the fifteenth season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in February and March of 1978. The most popular regeneration of the title character, the fourth, is the star, along with feisty companion Leela and the inimitable robotic canine, K9. The adaptation is by Terrance Dicks, based on the original teleplay by Graham Williams and Anthony Read, which they wrote under the pseudonym of David Agnew. I don't believe it's one of Dicks' best books; it feels rushed in places, with less attention to detail in continuity, and not much added in the way of background material or information. It's one of the stories set entirely on the home planet of the Time Lords, Gallifrey, and does provide some interesting insights about it. The Doctor seems to be untrustworthy much of the time, but is actually working to stop a takeover attempt of the Sontarans, who are pawns of the Vardens. Leela and The Doctor are separated much of the time, and Leela travels with an interesting Time Lady character, Rodan. It's nice that her faith in The Doctor never waivers, but at the end she announces her decision to stay behind on Gallifrey, which doesn't make much sense in the context of the story. It's a good story, but could have been polished into something really special.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously I've already seen the episodes so I know of the big reveal that both the DVD and this novelisation cover spoilers - with a Sontaran pictured.

Where Dicks slightly improves on the televised story is a more grander scale of Gallifrey, a more out of character Fourth Doctor and indeed references to the Timelords previous visit in The Deadly Assassin which helps build up continuity in the series.

It's a serial that I've always though was perfectly fine and in a way Dicks simple retelling with some nice character moments helps make this a clearer way to enjoy the story.

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Doctor!"
"Yes, Leela?"
""I'll miss you, Doctor."
"I'll miss you too...savage!"

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between a three and a four for me, and ultimately feels far more like a Seventh Doctor story than a Fourth Doctor story.
Quite an interesting premise, with a good twist in the story during it, with plenty of action, tension and intrigue, and plenty of scenes for the Doctor and Leela to shine in different ways. K9 gets some action as well, but somewhat less than the other two, though still significant pieces.
The one off characters as such are quite a varied cast here, with all sorts of backgrounds and personalities, and we do get to see Borusa again, to give a bit of continuation from the Deadly Assassin.
We get some good time and scenes in the TARDS as well, getting to get an idea of just how big it is, and how many things it contains.
What detracts from it, is that the Fourth Doctor feels somewhat out of character here (again, would fit in well with the Seventh), and Leela's departure. At least in the book we do get to have some hints / suggestions of attraction between Leela and Andred ahead of time, but realistically I think the Doctor's behaviour towards Leela earlier in the story would have been good reason for her to depart, instead of a sudden out of nowhere romance. A reasonably emotional farewell nonetheless as we see the differing reactions of the Doctor to the news - one in front of people, one in private.
So overall a pretty decent story, just felt somewhat ahead of it's time :)

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first page I noticed a small mistake Terrance made. He describes Leela with brown eyes and yet in his novelisation of Fang Rock he includes the bit where her eyes are turned blue. Not a major issue, but I’m very pedantic.

This is a favourite story even though it feels like to separate ones that have been mashed together. There’s the Vardan story and the Sontaran story. And they don’t entirely fit together. If the Vardans can read minds how did they not know the Sontarans were using them?

Then there’s the matrix. In the Vardan story the Doctor consults the mind of Rassilon in the matrix in order to create a hole in the transduction barrier, but then in the Sontaran story the Doctor states there is nothing in the matrix saying who Rassilon entrusted the great key too. Yet Rassilon’s mind is in the matrix. And at the Doctors investiture as President Terrance added a little bit stating the Master stole the great key, but how could he since no President has ever known where the great key was. It’s all very inconsistent. But also doesn’t really affect the story. The pedant in me would like those glitches ironed out though.

The last part inside the TARDIS seems very curtailed in comparison to the TV episodes. But I guess all the running around inside the TARDIS wouldn’t make for very entertaining reading, though it looks good on screen.

But all of this is really incidental and didn’t stop my loving this classic read.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

あらすじ

ギャリフレイにもどったドクターは大統領として正式に就任したいと申し立てる。大統領になればラシロンの御世から連綿と受け継がれてきたタイムロードの大統領のマトリクスを継承することになる。それは宇宙全体の運命を左右できるに足る膨大な知識と力の継承を意味していた。ドクターのアカデミー時代の師であるボーサはドクターの尊大な態度に失望するが、やがてドクターが強いテレパス能力を持つヴァーデンという種族のギャリフレイ侵攻計画を食い止めようと、必死で戦っていることを悟り、協力する。ドクターから首都からの追放を言い渡されたものの、リィーラのドクターの信頼の念は揺るぎなく、かつて首都を追放されたアウトサイダーたちと協力し、ドクターを急救出すべく再び首都に突入する。

 
感想

ヴァーデンを欺くためとはいえ、権力に執着し、尊大に振る舞うドクターを見るのはなかなかショッキング。誰にも差し迫った危機を伝えることができず、ギャリフレイを守るために死力をつくすドクターは本当にせつない。緊急事態で追いつめられているせいもあるのだろうけれど、ドクターはギャリフレイを守るための障壁を排除する手段としては人殺しも辞さない。自分も武器を手に取るし、仲間にも命じる。さらにはラシロンが禁忌とした最終兵器も復活させ、つかうことに躊躇しない。ドクターが危険ということはよくセリフではきくものの、あまり実感したことはなかったが、今回はドクターが諸刃の剣である一面を見た気がする。ドクターがというよりは、むしろ高い知識と技術、長い寿命をもつタイムロード自体がそういう宿命を持った種族なのかもしれない。だからこそタイムロードたちは無干渉の立場をキープしようとするが、ドクターは”見ざる聞かざる言わざる”立場をよしとしない。暴走しないよう自分を律しているし、その自制心はほかの存在よりははるかに強いのだろうが、それでもドクターはギャリフレイのルールを破ることで相当危険な綱渡りをしている気もする。今回ドクターは禁じられた武器でギャリフレイを救った代償として今回の騒動の記憶を丸ごと失っていまう。ドクターの正気のためにはその方がいいのだが、それでも今回の戦いの間で培われた信頼関係等が一切奪われてしまうのはやはりせつない。

最初から最後までスリリングで予測がつかないストーリー展開だったが、最後は切なすぎるドクターにしんみり。

 

メモ

・ドクターが大統領に就任した理由が判明

・K9 Mark II誕生の理由が判明

 

Rassillion was a wily old bird, wasn't he? No president can have total power without the Great Key, isn't that so? To protect the Time Lords from dictatorship, he gave the Great Key into other hands.

You are the first president since Rossillion himself to hold the Great Key. 

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having watched The Invasion of Time recently and failed to enjoy it much at all I thought I'd give the Target book a read. It makes for a much better story as a Terrance Dicks authored Target book than as the cobbled together, strike damaged, inflation hit catastrophe that the TV story is.

If you read this before seeing the TV version then you'll find the TV version a soggy disappointment, but you'd find that anyway.

Read the book. It's a classic piece of Terrance Dicks. He tidies up some untidy bits of the TV series, doesn't waste a word doing so and drives the story along at a pace that TV series doesn't have. It also makes a little more sense and there are more hints that Andred has feelings for Leela in the book so the finale isn't a surprise, even if it is still a disappointment. Leela deserved better. Louise Jameson deserved better.

To cut a long rant short: the book is better than the TV series.

[Mestor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Invasion of Time is not the greatest of Doctor Who stories. The plot has the distinct air of being made up as it goes along, and the televised serial is let down by shoddy production values and a tattiness indicative of its end of season placement in a difficult era in terms of budget. Plus, we all know that Leela's departure is rubbish.

However, Terrance Dicks's novelisation allows one to experience the serial unbound from its budgetary constraints. It also rattles along, with episodes of padding and corridor wandering reduced to a few deftly written paragraphs. Although not exactly an in-depth novelisation, Uncle Terrance does some fleshing out of Time Lord lore, and very much writes the novelisation as a sort of sequel to The Deadly Assassin. Although I now really want to rewatch the serial, I think I'm going to prefer the novelisation from now on!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

On television it was a glorious, epic mess. Terrance Dicks' adaptation is one of his more workman like affairs, losing some of the humour and nuance, but cleaning up the narrative and condensing the slower parts of the story into something much more pacey. There are a few little nice touches here and there if you keep your eye out for them.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I vaguely remember this episode and being upset when Leela left. I enjoyed the storyline although I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that it felt more like a 7 story then a 4, due to all the manipulation the Doctor does to those around him including his companion. Having said that I still say that any day with Doctor Who is a good day.

[David Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the target books as a kid. Terrance Dick’s writing is fast, reminiscent of pulp magazines. Occasionally, he throws in exclamation marks. He’s not a man for metaphors or similes: the action is described and that’s it. No internal monologues here. Heaps of fun, a bit slapdash, but charming.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This makes a story that feels rushed and cheap just feel rushed. Solid retelling (although the first episode (of six) takes up about a quarter of the book) with some nice details added to flesh things out a little more, like Leela’s romance with Andred. Dependable fun.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

It adds some details I like, but it still has a recurrent problem I have with this range, which is that whole sections feel pretty lifeless, tailored for a performed medium rather than prose.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always rather enjoyed this story. The novelisation of the story I think is better than the televised version. Simply because they explain what happened to individuals from the Deadly Assassin.

[Paul Charles Radio Show · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively entertaining romp, suitable for all Who fans. Tom Baker's personality shines through the script. Some of the flaws of the TV show are deftly dealt with by Dicks.

[Yonatan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just an ok story that makes covers up all the issues the story had with budget.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok adaptation. Definitely worth adding to the DW collection, if only for the wonderful bit where we get "K9 scanned him with his scissors".

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the very first episode of Doctor Who that I can remember watching a child (I was 5). There were bits that stuck in my mind for years, Leela in the swimming pool, being chased round the TARDIS and K9's replacement box.

The book I think gives a little too much away to start with. It talks about the aliens who are controlling the Doctor and so it's not such a mystery why he's suddenly such an eratic jerk. But apart from that it's a decent interpretation of the story. I did giggle at the added Andred and Leela bits. Leela didn't really seem to find Andred that interesting but there were many bits where Andred thought she was beautiful which made me giggle. Though to me Leela always stayed on Gallifrey to be with Rodan (They held hands WAY more than her and Andred). But I digress.

I really liked this episode. I liked the scheming Time Lords. I like the strangeness of the Doctor and I enjoyed the novelisation version. It didn't really add anything to the story. But it was still fun.

[Leela42 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fourth Doctor, Leela, K-9. Only buy this novelisation if you want a handy book to look up things in or if you think you will never see the episode. The story is fine, but the writing of the book is pretty bad. Much missing punctuation, one or two unfortunate juxtapositions that would be at home in 'The Eye of Argon', and a habit of repeating a descriptive word on the same page (the worst example being a single paragraph on page 30: 'an immense circular chamber', 'one of the largest and most impressive chambers', 'The immense marble floor', 'and on the far side of the hall an impressive staircase'). That's not to say it's painful to read, just very amateurish. Terrance Dicks wrote many worthwhile novelisations. --This is not one of them.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my all time favorite stories, as the Doctor returns to Galifry.
Has he betrayed the Time Lords to the mysterious Vardens? What'll happen to Leela and K-9?

The first half of the story involves lots of scheming as everybody is up to something, the second half is more traditional Who and the grand finale, featuring a chase through the interior of the Tardis is one of my all time favorite Doctor Who moments.

The scene where they decide how to write Leela out of the series felt very tacked on, but the epilogue with the Doctor and how he deals with his lonliness was great.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1007902.html[return][return]Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time is standard stuff, neither particularly good nor particularly bad.

[Damon Habbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book the Sontatans don't make an appearance until the end and the Vardans are dispatched very easily.

Clever idea but didn't work for me, did like to find out more about Gallifrey and the time lords.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that even other Time Lords are nonplussed by the Doctor. His clever antics make even terrifying alien invasions a lark.

[Caitlin]

Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time by Terrance Dicks (1983)

[stormhawk · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much happens that the story gets as confusing as the TARDIS floorplan.

[Callan Jones]

Best book I've read in 2012 so far

[bluetyson]

isbn,original